1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing device, and an audit data transfer method. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique which is suitable to manage, by using a server, image data input and image-processed in the image processing device and history information generated in association with the execution of the image process.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, as digital copying machines become widespread, anybody can copy and transmit various original images, it becomes a serious problem in the viewpoint of a leakage of information in case of copying and transmitting a secret original or the like even if such a spread of the digital copying machines improves user's convenience. To cope with the relevant problem, there is the digital copying machine which stores, in case of copying and transferring the original image, all the read image data in its storage unit such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-270477). Thus, it is possible to chase when, where and what process was executed to the original by confirming with the administrator by which image processing device the original from which the information has been leaked was read.
Moreover, a job archive (chasing) system consisting of a digital copying machine, an audit server and the like is proposed. In the job archive system, the image data of the job executed in the digital copying machine and the history information of the image data are once stored in the HDD of the digital copying machine, and the image data and the history information thereof both stored in the HDD are then transferred and managed in the audit server. In the job archive (chasing) system, the storage capacity of the HDD of each digital copying machine is limited because the cost increases if the capacity of the HDD is made large and other intended use of the HDD occurs. In consideration of such limitation, a system which stores and manages image data by transferring through a network the image data to an audit server having a large-capacity storage means so that the transferred image data (equivalent to the audit image data capable of being confirmed and checked later by the administrator) respectively stored in the plural digital copying machines are stored and managed in a lump by the audit server is proposed. Here, it should be noted that the audit image data is also called chasing image data, and the audit image data (chasing image data) is stored in the audit server or the like for later chasing (process confirmation), independently of the execution of copying and printing.
However, in the above system, the size of the chasing image data to be transferred (transmitted) from the digital copying machine to the audit server is typically highly large. Moreover, in the job archive system, since the chasing image data of the plural copying machines are transmitted to the audit server, the large-sized data transfer (transmission) occurs many times. Therefore, if each digital copying machine independently transfers the chasing image data to the audit server at arbitrary timing, the transfer of the chasing image data concentrates at specific time zone, whereby it bears a load on the network and also bears a load on the audit server.
Moreover, in a case where the job (image processing operations such as copying, printing and the like) is executed in the digital copying machine while the chasing image data is being transferred from the digital copying machine to the audit server, there is fear that the performance of the relevant job decreases. Particularly, if the size of the image data to be transferred to the audit server is large, it takes a long period of time until the transfer ends, whereby the performance of the job decreases for a relatively long period of time. It is apparent that the user never wishes such a state. That is, in any and all circumstances, the user is sure to wish highest throughput in the copying and the printing.
As described above, in the related background art, if the image data is transferred from the image formation device such as the digital copying machine or the like to the audit server at arbitrary timing, the problem of load to the network and the audit server occurs. In addition, the problem of decreasing the performance of the job in the image formation device occurs.